Hymn Reflection: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory! (Isaiah 6:2–3 ESV)
The congregational song of a local church provides many opportunities for the congregants to learn Scripture and the doctrines of the faith. Unfortunately, one doctrine that is often neglected in the corporate worship service is the Trinity. “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts,” written by Christopher Wordsworth (1807–85), is a Trinitarian hymn of exaltation that is often sung to Edward J. Hopkins tune ST. ATHANASIUS. In this post, I analyze the aforementioned hymn for its doctrinal content.
Christopher Wordsworth
Wordsworth, born in Lambeth on October 30, 1807, was educated at Trinity College and Winchester. The Harrow School elected him Head Master in 1838, and in 1844 Robert Poole appointed him to a Canonry at Westminster. He held the position of a parish priest for nineteen years before becoming Bishop at Lincoln in 1869. According to John Julian, Wordsworth wrote voluminously (John Julian Dictionary of Hymnology, 1907). One of his many works is The Holy Year (1862) which included hymns that followed the Book of Common Prayer’s church calendar. Wordsworth’s similarities to Eastern hymnwriters led Julian to state that “Christopher Wordsworth, like the Greek hymnwriters, drew his inspiration from Holy Scripture, and he loved, as they did, to interpret Holy Scripture mystically” (Julian). Wordsworth wrote “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts” for Trinity Sunday in the first edition of The Holy Year (Julian).
Analysis
Wordsworth’s Trinity Sunday hymn contains six stanzas each ending with the exaltation of “the blessed Trinity.”
1 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
God of hosts, Eternal King,
by the heav’ns and earth adored!
Angels and archangels sing,
chanting everlastingly
to the blessed Trinity.
Stanza one expresses the eternality and sovereignty of God, and the praise that he is given from the angelic hosts. Scripture proclaims God’s eternality in passages including: Psalm 90:1–4, Revelation 1:8, Isaiah 57:15, Deuteronomy 33:27, and 1 Timothy 1:17. Psalm 22:28 expresses God’s rule by stating that “kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.” Scripture passages revealing angelic praise to God include Luke 2:13–14, Job: 38–7, and Isaiah 6:2–3.
2 Since by Thee were all things made,
and in Thee do all things live,
be to Thee all honor paid;
praise to Thee let all things give, singing everlastingly
To the blessed Trinity.
Stanza two reveals that God is worthy of praise because he is Creator and Sustainer. Holy Scripture begins with God’s act of Creation in Genesis 1:1–2. This passage shows that not only God created, but the Spirit of God hovered over “the face of the waters.” John 1:1–3 explains that creation occurred through Christ. Scripture describes God as Sustainer when it states that “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (ESV), and Hebrews 1:3 shows Christ’s role as creator stating, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (ESV).
3 Thousands, tens of thousands stand,
spirits blest before Thy throne,
speeding thence at Thy command;
and, when Thy command is done,
singing everlastingly
to the blessed Trinity.
Stanza three points to the worship of the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:10. The passage states that “A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened” (ESV).
4 Cherubim and seraphim
veil their faces with their wings;
eyes of angels are too dim
to behold the King of kings,
while they sing eternally
to the blessed Trinity.
Stanza four reflects Isaiah 6:2 in aw inspired worship to the King of Kings. In Reverence, the seraphim covered their faces in the presence of Almighty God. The angels praise the almighty Godhead when they proclaim “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory” (ESV).
5 Thee, apostles, prophets, Thee,
Thee, the noble martyr band,
praise with solemn jubilee,
Thee, the Church in ev’ry land;
singing everlastingly
to the blessed Trinity.
Stanza five points to the universal Church’s eternal praise of the Godhead. Scripture pointing to the eternal praise of God that the Church will be part of includes: Revelation 6: 9–11, Revelation 11: 17–19, Revelation 19:1–9, and Revelation 22: 3–5.
6 Alleluia! Lord, to Thee,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Three in One, and One in Three,
join we with the heav’enly host,
singing everlastingly
to the blessed Trinity.
The final stanza is clearly Trinitarian, and it points to the orthodox doctrine that God is one essence and three persons. It also expresses the Christian’s role in lifting their praises and joining the heavenly host in worship to the Godhead three in one.
Evaluation
Christopher Wordsworth’s hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts” is an example of a Trinitarian hymn that can aid churches in teaching the doctrine of the Trinity. It exalts the Triune God reverently, and it is thoroughly biblical. In closing, I encourage all readers to examine and ponder the doctrine included in the songs of their corporate worship, family worship, and personal devotion, and I challenge pastors to not neglect singing Trinitarian hymns.
